Method of producing felt footwear



June 7, i949. w, PA'SKO METHOD OF PRODUCING FELT FOOTWEAR Filed Jan. 9,1947 ,9 Tron/Vey.

Patented June 7, 1949 METHOD F PRODUCING FELT FOOTWEAR William Pasko,Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application January 9, 1947, Serial No.I'121,110

3 Claims. (Cl. 28-72.3)

The invention relates to improvements in methods for producing feltfootwear as described in the present specification and shown in theaccompanying drawings that form a part of the same.

Footl coverings made from felt have long been known and have attained acertain degree of.

popularity in cold climates but heretofore such devices as have been.known have been made up from a sheet, or sheets, of felt sewn together,with the result that due to heat, perspiration, strain and other causesthey have given way at the seams particularly and therefore have notlprovided the satisfaction from every standpoint,

including economy, that should attend the use of felt. Furthermore nomeans has heretofore been provided for varying the thickness ofdifferent parts of the article to insure longevity.

One ofthe main objects of the present invention is to provide an articleof footwear made of felt moulded to the'required shape and size so as toeliminate seams.

Another object of the invention is to provide for increased thickness atthe points most susceptible to wear, without interfering with thecomfort of the wearer.

And generally the objects of the invention are to provide a warm,pliable and comfortable article of footwear, of lasting quality, whichmay be worn as an inter-liner for a boot, or as an outer covering forthe feet, and which may be washed without injury to the felt.

The invention consists in the novel features set out in the presentspecification and more particularly pointed out in the claims fornovelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a fabric model of the article offootwear to-be produced laid out y on a sheet of carding wool.

Figure 2 shows the wool folded over the fabric model as the rst step inthe production of the article.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line li-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 ofFigure 6.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the fabric envelope in which the deviceshown in Figure 6 is placed for working.

Figure 8 shows the envelope and its contents in process of being rolledand worked.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a finished article.

Like numerals of reference indicate correspending parts in the variousfigures.

Referring to the drawings, I will now describe in detail the manner inwhich I produce an article of footwear according to my method, but

it must be understood that while I refer herein to an article offootwear such other articles as the method can be applied to may beproduced thereby.

I prefer to use in the production of the article referred to herein agood grade of carding Wool which is obtainable in long strips or sheetsslightly greater in width than the length of the felt foot covering tovbe produced and which can easily be torncrosswise to provide strips I.

I then produce a fabric model 2 of the article, corresponding in sizeand shape to that which it is intended to produce in felt and I lay thismodel at on a piece of the carding wool in such relation thereto .thatthe open end of the model is preferably substantially flush with oneedge of the piece of wool and with marginall pieces 3 and 4 at the sidesof the model sufficiently wide that when folded inwardly they will meetintermediate of the width of themodel. I then pick the meeting edges ofthe marginal pieces and then work them together to cause the woolparticles of the meeting edges to intermingle and provide an endlessenvelope encircling the model. I then wrap the model and its enclosingenvelope oi wool in a relatively thin sheet 5 of wool with the meetingedges of this second layer on the side opposite to the meeting edges. ofthe first layer. I preferably then, though not necessarily, wrap thewhole in another thinlayer 6 of wool with its meeting edges on the sideopposite to the meeting edges of the second layer, each time working themeeting edges into one another to as far as possible make each layerendless. The arrangement of the various layers is illustrated in theenlarged sectional view numbered 5.

It is desirable in footwear of this type that the material be thickenedat the points most liable to wear, such as at the toe, and this isaccomplished by laying thin layers of wool around the toe, as shown at1, preferably extending alternately in directions at right angles to oneanother and having their edges picked or worked to merge with the woolenbase to avoid bunching at any point.

It will now be seen that an article has been 3 formed which followsquite closely the form of whichit is built but being of much greateroutside dimensions in every respect owing to the fact that it has beenbuilt up from dry and fluffy; `Wool.

The article thus far produced is next inserted in a fabric envelope 8which is shaped substantially in accordance with the desired final shapeof the article, which in this instance is an interliner for a boot.

The envelope 8 is provided with an opening 9 therein through which thedry woolen built-up device is passed to the interior of the envelope,and this opening is provided with a zipper I0, or other closing means.whereby the interiorly positioned device may be completely locked in.

The envelope containing the woolen device is now laid out on a fiatsurface and rolled this way and that much in the manner that dough iskneaded in bread making, the envelope during this rolling process beingfolded and refolded in different directions.

The reason for this rolling and kneading of the device is to cause theWool particles tocontinuously more closely adhere to one another, thusincreasing the density of the mass and causing the device to shrink insize the longer the working is continued. It is preferable thatoccasionally during the rolling process the envelope be opened and thatthe operator insert his, or her, hand in the inner fabric model andspread it to its full extent. When the envelope is open the operator hasa chance to see the contents of the device as to density and when it isseen that the article has attained a satisfactory state of compactnessfor dry wool the zippered envelope is again closed and together with itscontents is dipped in boiling water and after removal is again rolledand thoroughly kneaded. Frequent dipping of the envelope in boilingwater and rolling and working several minutes during which the conditionof the article is observed from time to time and when the article hasattained the required firmness and appearance which is desired in thefinished article and has shrunk to the desired size in respect to theinterior model it is removed from the envelope and after having beentrimmed at the top edge, if necessary, allowed to dry, after which themodel is removed.

According to this method an article of footwear can be produced which iswithout seams; which is of varying thickness throughout according todesire; which may be made of any desired weight or size, and which willlast under similar conditions very much longer shape formed up frompreviously manufactured felt cut to the desired shape and sewn ui).

What I claim is:

1. The method of producing a seamless felt article consisting in foldinga sheet of dry carding wo'ol around a flexible model of the article in ais continued over a lperiod of than an article of like` 4 at state,inserting the model and its wool covering in a flat state in a fabricenvelope. immersing the envelope and its contents in boiling water atfrequent intervals and after each immersionrolling and kneading sameuntil the wool has shrunk to the size of the model around which it isrolled and has attained the texture desired in the nal article, thenremoving the article from the envelope and allowing the article to dry,and subsequently removing the model.

2. The method of producingy a seamless felt article, consisting inenclosing a model of the article to be produced in a fiat state within anumber of layers of carding wool, each layer in succession having itsmeeting edges located at the side of the model opposite to that on whichthe meeting edges of the last preceding layer are located, applyingadditional wool where added thickness is desired, inserting the modeland the wool covering same in a fabric envelope, immersing the envelopeand its contents in boiling water at frequent intervals .and rolling andkneading same after each immersion while hot until the wool has shrunkto cause the article to assume a size substantially equal to that of theinterior model, then removing the article from the envelope, then dryingthe article and removing the model.

3. The method of producing a seamless felt article, consisting inwrapping a number of layers of carding wool around a fabric model of thearticle to be produced in a fiat state, working the edges of therespective layers together and into the material of the underlyinglayer, applying additional layers of wool at points where adv ditionalthickness is desired, then rolling and kneading the whole to cause lthewool particles to intermingle and the texture to become hard and dense,then enclosing the whole in a fabric envelope and immersing the envelopeand its contents in boiling water and after withdrawal from the waterrolling and kneading same while hot to cause the wool to shrink to theextent that the article is of substantially the same wearing size as themodel, then drying the article.

WILLIAM PASKO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

